1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner in which either a disposable paper filter or a permanently reusable filter is mounted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, a vacuum cleaner has a basic structure in which dust and dirt are drawn in together with air by a suction force, which is generated at a suction port by a vacuum-generating device, and the dust and dirt are separated and collected from the air by a dust-collecting means.
The vacuum-generating device comprises a vacuum motor, which is disposed in a cleaner body. The cleaner body is provided with a motor chamber in which the vacuum motor is mounted and a dust-collecting chamber is in fluid communication with the motor chamber. The dust-collecting means is mounted in the dust-collecting chamber, and the dust-collecting chamber is connected to the suction port via an extension pipe.
When the vacuum motor is driven, it generates a powerful suction force at the suction port. Due to the suction force, the air, including the dust and dirt, is drawn in through the suction port and flows into the dust-collecting means mounted in the dust-collecting chamber of the cleaner body. While the air passes through the dust-collecting means and is discharged out of the cleaner body, the dust and dirt are collected at the dust-collecting means without passing through the dust-collecting means.
Generally, such a vacuum cleaner uses a paper filter as the dust-collecting means. The paper filter is a disposable product that has to be replaced with a new filter when the filter becomes full of dirt. Accordingly, replacement paper filters cause an increase in the cost associated with use of the vacuum cleaner.
Meanwhile, a vacuum cleaner employing a reusable filter, instead of a disposable paper filter, has been recently developed. This reusable filter may be removed from a cleaner body to be emptied out when it becomes full of dirt. Since the vacuum cleaner employing the reusable filter can repeatedly use the filter, it solves the above problem of the cost increase due to the replacement of a disposable paper filter.
However, the vacuum cleaner employing the reusable filter has a different dust-collecting chamber from that of the vacuum cleaner employing the disposable paper filter. Therefore, reusable filters cannot be employed as a substitute for paper filters in the vacuum cleaner designed to use paper filters. That is, there is no compatibility in using the reusable filter in the two types of vacuum cleaner. Thus, it is required for a manufacturer to develop a separate vacuum cleaner employing the paper filter and a vacuum cleaner employing the reusable filter. Accordingly, costs increase for the research and development of two separate product lines, and costs increase for the manufacturing equipment. Also, there is the problem that a consumer has to bear the increased costs for the two types of vacuum cleaner.